A Warrior's Spirit
by NightmarishPrince
Summary: WindWaker modernization. Discontinued, for now.
1. Library

A/N: Thank you. This beginning note will be kept as brief as vampyrically possible...maybe not that short. This is essentially a modernized version of the Wind Waker. As it has been modernized, I have taken the small liberty of adding and enlarging towns to and on the Great Sea. All characters will be canon from one Zelda game or another. This can be considered both a novelization and an AU. Read and enjoy.

Thank you again.

**Prologue: Library**

_"This is but one of the legends of which the people speak..."_

"Awwww!"

"Come _on_, Ilia! Don't start the story like _that_!"

In her chair, an old, musty book in her lap, a young woman with dark blonde hair rolled her eyes and sighed. "All right then, Mido, how should I start it?"

On the floor in front of her, a nine year old boy grinned mischieviously. His pepper red hair poked out disobediently from under his yellow and blue hat, and he swiped at it angrily before the grin returned to his freckled complexion. His overalls were oversized(hand-me-downs from his brother, Skully), and his blue tee shirt was dirty from hours of playing outside, chasing wild pigs with his twin sister Saria.  
Saria, for her part, had been much less forthcoming in her discontentment with the start of the Legend that Ilia had chosen to tell them that day, but that did not change her dissatisfaction in the slightest. Her tapered green hair(which she constantly insisted was natural) moved around to frame her face as she giggled, wordlessly voicing her agreement with her brother. Saria, a bookworm by nature spent more of her time indoors reading through old Legends and Myths than she did outdoors playing with her peppy brother, but even Mido loved the Old Tales, and both had already decided that this version, the one quite precisely translated from the Ancient Tongue, was their least favorite, and far too uneventful for either of their tastes. Though, they thought, the illustrations were enjoyable.

Mido stood up. "Hey, Ilia, let _me _tell the story! I know a really good rendition of it!"

Ilia, from her place in an old red armchair, sighed again, and waved lightly allowing Mido to take over for her. She got quite a surprise when both he and Saria took a seat on either arm of the chair, but, being rather fond of the twins, she did not object, and allowed them to remain in the positions they had put themselves. Mido was the first to start, his chipper young voice going all over the room so that everyone would be able to hear.

"There is a story." he said, simply. "A great, long, _wonderful_ story. Throughout many generations, every island across the sea has adapted this story, this wonderful tale, to its tastes. Today, though, I will tell you the most accurate account of this story, for, though it is your choice whether to believe me, this story is true."

This time, it was Saria's turn. The beginning of the narrative suited her soft, flutey voice perfectly, and all the children, from Joel and his brother Zill to another pair of twins, Tatl and Tael, sat, transfixed by the lifelike feeling they were suddenly encompassed by.

"In a land very far from here, long forgotten and whose name is no longer known, there was a vast forest in its southern reaches, inhabited by a childlike people that never grew old. Each of these children, for that was what they remained for the duration of their existence, was given a guardian spirit to watch over them. The form of these spirits has long been lost in the annals of time, but it is believed they took on the forms of colorful lights, hovering near the shoulders and hearts of those they were sworn to defend, and to guide as well, for they would remain children." Saria paused to draw in a deep breath, her blue sweater moving with her. "But..." she continued, "There was one child who did not have a guardian. And it is with this child that our story begins." now, her first section of the narrative completed, she looked expectantly to her younger twin, who grinned.

"Just as the forms of the guardian he so lacked, the name and face of this young lad have long been dashed roughly against the rocks of time, and so have shattered, leaving us with only speculation, but we do know this; he was to become the Great Hero. And so our story begins...

--

_That child, a peaceful child, lived a good life in the Village of Youth, with many friends, although there was one who picked on him quite often. He did not dislike this friend, but they often got into heated quarrels because he lacked a guardian. This, though, has little to do with our tale for now, so please, merely store it away, as it will eventually be important. _

_Now, one night, the boy with no guardian, who we shall call Khler, which means 'savior' in the ancient tongue, was sleeping in his home, a small, wooden shanty raised high off of the ground. This, you may think must be rather normal, but on this night, Khler's normally peaceful sleep was not so. No, on this moonrise, a terrible, terrible dream invaded his mind. In this dream Khler came face to face with a terrible evil in the form of a man and his black horse. Thunder exploded, jarring Khler's ears as its companion lightning illuminated the sky and ground around him, revealing the twisted smile and hellish eyes of what Khler would later believe to be the devil himself for what he would come to do. The wicked man raised his hand, uttering an incantation in the ugly tongue of the Underworld, and a sphere of purest evil formed in his palm..._

_And then Khler was awoken by nothing other than the guardian that the Childrens' Patriarch had sent to aid him. This guardian, Nalldi in the old tongue, told him that the Patriarch requested his presence immediately, and he must hurry._

_And thus began Khler and Nalldi's adventure. They trekked through a great tree to remove a curse on their forest home, and yes, they succeeded. Then, sent abroad to aid the land by order of their Patriarch, they bid farewell to Khler's gentle and sage friend, as well as his loud and obnoxious one, and set off for a land in imminent danger. They trekked over a vast expanse of land called a prairie for days on end, and there they met a man and his daughter who aided them with safe passage to a large city kept within a wall. There, at the far end of the great city, they found a vast castle, and there they met the castle's princess, a beautiful and wise young girl who knew all of their misfortunes, and of the many more misfortunes to come. And so, giving them information and knowledge of a song that would aid them, she sent them on a quest to retrieve two sacred relics to accompany a third that had been bestowed upon them by the Patriarch before their departure from the Childrens' Forest. _

_And from the castle, Khler and Nalldi proceeded to a small village at the base of a mountain, a village with a cemetary dedicated to the brave men who previously had defended the land from evils of lesser nature. There, in the grave of a long dead king, they learned a song that would protect them both from the blinding darkness of night and from the dangerous hands of the undead. Then, the tune learned, they scaled the mountain and came to a city built within it. There, they were greeted by a people with bodies of stone, who said that they would not be able to retrieve the relic they needed unless they broke a curse on the caverns from which the stone people gathered food. And so they broke the curse, with much trouble. The stone peoples' patriarch, Lukiel, or strong one, gave them then the relic willingly, and the location of the final piece they must acquire: a hidden cove that was home to a water dwelling race. _

_And so Khler and Nalldi travelled there over the course of a week, for it was far. There they met a great ruler of the water people, who could not give them the relic, for it had been lost, as had his daughter, who was last in possession of the artifact. Khler, not being one to back down or easily give up, asked the king if he could keep the artifact, were he to retrieve and and rescue the water princess, Aquell'anra. The king, because he cared greatly for his daughter and felt her more important than a dusty old relic, agreed, and told Khler and Nalldi that Aquell'anra had last been seen at a great lake. He gave Khler a scale that allowed him to remain under the water for a much longer period of time than he previously would have been able, and told him of an underwater passage that would quickly take him to the lake, a journey that, on land, would have lasted several days._

_Only hours later, brave little Khler and his chipper guardian Nalldi surfaced in the lake. It was vast, more vast than any body of water Khler had seen in his short life of ten years, but not nearly so vast as the Great Sea we now live on. Khler and Nalldi searched diligently, but nowhere in the vicinity of the Lake did they find Aquell'anra. However, when they were about to reenter the passage and return to the Cove for a short respite, Nalldi caught sight of an object under the water, instructing Khler to dive down and retrieve it. Inside, there was a note telling them of Aquell'anra's whereabouts: the belly of the water peoples' guardian deity. With much haste, Khler and Nalldi returned to the water king and told him of what they had found. Hearing this, the water ruler gave them right of passage to the small lake where the deity resided, and told them of the requirement of an offering. Taking heed of his words, Khler caught a fish as a gift and made the short journey to the deity's place of rest._

_They arrived there, and what did they find but an immense, powerful fish, Jabu-Jabu. Not sure what else there was he could do, Khler laid down his offering. Jabu-Jabu, satisfied with Khler's simple yet sincere show of respect, allowed him entrance to his body. Once inside, Khler and Nalldi searched and searched, probing every nook of the great fish until they found both princess and stone, and rescued them from the evil that had taken over the deity. This done, Aquell'anra relinquished to them the final artifact, and Khler and Nalldi sped back to the Great City._

_But it was too late, for the city, and the castle as well, were in flames, fallen victim to the evil man from the desert, who we shall name Gheul, or destroyer. As the bridge leading over the river to the town came down, so passed a brilliantly pure white stallion, led by the princess Sentha'anra's(great'princess) attendant. Quick as a wink they had disappeared with the now setting sun, towards the border and distant countries. Towards safety. As they disappeared over the horizon, the same black horse from Khler's dream raced over the bridge, and Gheul looked disdainfully down upon brave Khler, who did not move, both from fear and from defiance. Gheul demanded of Khler the direction in which princess and attendant had fled his answer was the sound of Khler drawing his weapon from its sheath. And, angered by this response, Gheul raised his hand, uttering an incantation so ugly that the ball of energy formed in his palm radiated pure evil. He sent the spell at Khler, saying he was brave for standing against him, but his bravery was his undoing. As Khler blacked out, the last he heard was the evil Gheul's laughter as he raced off into the night._

_When he awoke, Khler's mind was accosted with a telepathic message from Sentha'anra, telling him of a magical instrument and its song that would allow Khler and Nalldi, by use of the artifacts they had gathered, to access a weapon that would help them defeat the wicked Gheul. However, when Khler followed Sentha'anra's instructions, the weapon, which in its own right was sentient, deemed Khler unready, and so sent him into a period of sleep that lasted several years. When Khler awoke, he was greeted by a mysterious boy who told him of Gheul conquering the land, and of the sages Khler must rescue in order to save it._

_And so Khler set out on another journey, determined to save the many people who were under opression. He first travelled to the forest that had once been his home. There he met the friend he had often quarreled with, who was named Hoth for the color of his hair. But Hoth had changed from a bully to a sad and lonely boy, and, wishing to atone for the times he had been unkind to Khler, led him to the temple in the forest, where their kind friend Hiell(gentle) had gone to fight the evil that now ravaged the woods. Together, Hoth and Khler slew the evil ghoul that had made the temple its nest and rescued Hiell, who was found to be the temple's sage. Hoth, though saddened that he would never again see his dear friend, reluctantly accepted that she must leave in order to aid many, and so pledged to protect the forest with all the power he had. When Khler left the forest again, a strong bond between the two boys had formed._

_Khler's journey then took him back to the mountainside village and up the mountain to the city of the stone people. Arriving, he found it empty, save for a lonely stone child, fighting off monsters that had invaded. Finding that the child, who was exhausted and hungry, would not survive for long, Khler leapt into battle with the divine weapon that had once deemed him unready, and slew every monster accosting the stone boy. When saved, the child gratefully introduced himself as sharing Khler's name, explaining that his father, the stone patriarch Lukiel, had given him the name in hopes that he would be as great as the boy who had once saved their race from starvation, and that he was summarily honored to meet that very mand. Then, the younger Khler'iel(little Khler) went on to tell of how all of his kind save for himself had been imprisoned inside of the fiery mountain that towered over the city, and would be eaten by a terrible dragon spirit if they did not hurry. Khler na shinn(Khler the older) agreed to rescue them, and in return was given a garment that would allow him safety in even the hottest regions of the volcano. So he entered the magma filled caves, trekking through to save the stone people one at a time, and receiving a great battle hammer along the way. Eventually he met Lukiel again, and together the two defeated and tamed the dragon spirit. Lukiel was revealed to be the fire sage and so remained in the temple within the volcano, his son easily accepting it and promising to grow and lead his people when he came of age. When Khler exited the volcano to taste cool evening air again, he was greeted by the mysterious boy, Al'thul(of shadow). Al'thul told him of the frozen water kingdom, and of the temple in the lake, and gave him garments that allowed him to remain underwater indefinitely, and then he led him to the temple in the lake, where he left Khler very suddenly. And so, Khler traversed through the first portion of the underwater temple with onld Nalldi to help him along. Soon, however, he found Aquell'anra, and the two continued through together, using their steadfast friendship and teamwork as a weapon to defeat the great serpent spirit that had tainted the sacred temple, and it was revealed that Aquell'anra was the water sage. She accepted her fate with all the grace of her royal status and remained there._

_Upon leaving, Khler was once again greeted by Al'thul, who told him of sudden strife in the mountainside village, and together the two young men travelled there, only to find the town in flames. They were greeted, however, by the attendant, Al'Shao(of suffering), who told them of an age old demon who had escaped its prison and had gone to the temple at the rear of the cemetary. Al'Shao, who seemed somehow to know Al'thul, instructed him to aid the villagers while she and Khler went to the temple to face the demon. The dark temple was frightening to Khler and Nalldi, who had always been innocent by nature, but, both having brave spirits, they followed Al'Shao faithfully and assisted her in dispatching the terrible devil within, and naturally, Al'Shao was revealed as the dark sage, and, with calmness befitting of her element, she took her place among the other sages, directing Al'Thul to lead Khler to the final temple in the desert._

_The trek across the desert, even with the stoic Al'Thul's guidance, was a long and arduous one, and so, when attacked by a brainwashed desert woman just outside the temple, Al'Thul and Khler were unable to defeat her. If not for the well read Nalldi, who told them of the key to the desert woman's hypnosis, they would indeed have been slain. When finally defeated, the desert woman, Linrette(gold), apologized, explaining that she had been unable to control her actions. And so, to atone for her weak mindedness, she led both Al'Thul through the temple and aided them in defeating the evil within._

_At the end of the battle, Al'Thul came forward and apologized sincerely, claiming that he had deceived Khler. And so, using a spell, it was revealed that in truth, Al'Thul was Sentha'anra in disguise, but before any celebration could take place, Gheul came and swept her up, taking her to the top of his tower. Linrette, who had been awakened as the desert sage, used her power to transport Khler and Nalldi to where they had first awoken; the light temple, wher the light sage Khoy(grandfather) resided. Khoy, upon their arrival, listened to their story and agreed to summon all the sages and assist Khler in his final battle._

_The sages, with their combined power, created a magical bridge over the chasm separating them from the tower. Khler and Nalldi, though surrounded constantly by foes, bravely fought their wat through the tower until they reached the top and faced Gheul. Through sheer will, Khler defeated him and rescued Sentha'anra, and the two escaped the tower just before it collapsed. But, imagine their horror, when out of the rubble rose a great demon, Gheul's true form, and so Khler was sure he was against the devil himeself. But, because of his desire to protect his friends, Khler faced him with the help of Sentha'anra and the sages, and after a long and bloody battle, victory was achieved and Gheul was sealed away in the Dark World he had created, never to be seen again._

_Many, many years, centuries even, passed in peace, and the land prospered. Khler, Sentha'anra, and their sage companions lived on and died of old age during that time, but the land, remembering their efforts, continued to work towards a steadfast peace. Life for all was comfortable._

_Until one day, a fell wind passed over the land. An ominous, foul wind that reeked of death and suffering. Soon, Gheul rose out of the Dark World once more in a red wrath to destroy the land. Distressed, the people prayed to the gods for the return of Khler, who had become known as the Hero of Time. Days of death proceeded to come, and Khler did not, for his time was gone, and he was at rest. And so, the land descended into chaos, burned, pillaged, and destitute._

_The ultimate fate of that kingdom?...none remain who remember._

_However, Khler's story has survived on the wind's breath, and in the community of Outset Island, it has become tradition to, when a boy reaches the same age at which Khler began his journey(ten), to dress him in green, a sign of coming of age._

--

Mido and Saria, their story finally done, hopped off of their respective seats and bowed to the applause given them by their peers. Even Ilia, who had reached her eighteenth summer and was no longer wanton to enjoy the Legend that the children begged her to so often tell them, was all smiles and praise for the show the Kokeire twins had put on, and she was anxious, she had told them, to know where they had found it.

"Skully." Mido said simply, referring to their older brother. Skully went by many names, the most frightening being Skullkid, and his given one was Simon. He rarely showed himself during daylight hours, and had a frighteningly malevolent nature at times, but for the most part he was a playful and affectionate friend that Ilia could rely on(he and she had been close since childhood). He also doted on his brother and sister constantly, making up for the time their single mother could not spare.

"Ah, alright then." smiled Ilia, "I'm sure it's a reliable story. In any case, it took quite a bit of time. I'm sure most of you are being expected at home by now. Go on, scoot!"

And with that, story time at the local library came to an end.

Mido grabbed his and Saria's schoolbags on the way out of the library, planning to go home ahead so he could help his mother start dinner, but was hailed by a classmate before he could. The boy who shouted and jogged up to him had flaxen blonde hair and eyes as blue as the tropical ocean surrounding their island home. His white tank top and cargo shorts were just the right size, but Mido knew from the way Link tended to shoot up about three inches every spring that they would not remain so for long. Even his oversized flip flops would soon need replacing.

"Hoy, Mido!" he shouted. Mido grinned and waved.

"Hoy yerself, skinny! Need sumthin'?"

Link glowered at his unwanted nickname, but Mido knew from the telltale glint in his eye that he would let it slide...for now. "Well," said Link, keeping his six year old sister from wandering off; once again, Mido had not noticed her at first. Aryll, though just as energetic and outgoing as Link, easily blended in with the rest of the crowd, and though Mido was fond of her, he often lost track of her whereabouts. Link, however, was easy to pay attention to, as his chipper voice always jarred Mido from his thoughts without trouble. "I was just talking to my Gran'ma on the phone so she'd pick Aryll an' me up, and she was tellin' me that since you an' me's birthdays are so close together that she, your mama and Simon are helping put together a joint party. We're gonna have to wear dresses on the same day!"

Mido winced at the mention of the 'dresses', the tunics, and since Link always referred to Skully as Simon, that went unnoticed. The tunics, however...

Though the tradition was more to dress the boys in the color of heroes, it seemed like most mothers or matriarchal figures went ahead and sewed traditional tunics and leggings for their sons; as had been the case for fifteen year old Kafei Dotour on his tenth birthday. He and Skully had burned the pictures together a few months ago. It was already enough that Saria was pestering him, calling him a 'future cross dresser', but Link reminding him too?!

"Seriously, Link, don't bring that up!"

"Eheh. Sorry. Anyways, the point is that we get to have our party the same day! Cool, huh?"

Mido grinned broadly. "Yeah!"

The two chatted awhil longer until Link's grandmother arrived and Saria came out. The Kentons(that is, Link's family) offered them a ride, as they usually did, and as always, Mido and Saria declined, insisting that they did not live far off, and that they would be just fine. And, as usual, they were just fine, because as the sun set and they reached the half-way mark between the library and their home(which really was quite a ways away; in the mountain district), Skully met them and guided them to the house safely, where their mother had already made dinner.

And yet, far to the north, a plot was brewing that would shatter their daily routine into oblivion.

Night: Hello. If you didn't take the time to note the name of this story's author, that would be me, NightmarishPrince. Though I generally like to write darker than this, I though I'd take a turn for the lighter with my first contribution to the fanfiction community. If you enjoyed the first part of this story, I would very much like to hear so, even if it is a mere 'keep going', I would love to hear from you. :D Even flames are welcome, since I am fairly tough skinned, but don't think I'll take them quietly :l

Thank you for reading.


	2. Russian Roulette

A/N: Hello again. *flourishing bow* First of all, many thanks to all of my reviewers: my good friend _TheFinalCountdown_, as well as _LinkiePooh _and _tikitikirevenge_. I would like to say ahead of time that I do not tend to be....consistent with my updates. I apologize in advance for any frustration my readers(few as they are at this point) may experience with me over this matter; despite what you may think, I actually do have a life. Anyway, this chapter will cover all of what happens on Outset Isle at the start of the game; modernized and edited to fit that particular detail, of course, but it will still follow the basic plot. Please enjoy.

**Chapter One: Russian Roulette**

Routine.

For the next week, that was the word that Mido Kokeire followed. He got up early every morning and woke up his family. He got dressed, helped make breakfast and pack lunches, and left for school, making sure Skullkid didn't try to run off and skip. Once he got to school he got into one or two arguments and got scolded three or so times, slept through math class, played baseball at recess and talked with Link, Saria and Aryll. After school he went to the library until five, left and denied Link's offer of a ride home, met Skullkid halfway to the house. Apologized to his mother for being late, ate dinner, did homework, read comics for an hour or played computer and went to bed. (Wake up. Repeat.)

Finally a full eight days had passed since Mido had spoken to Link about the plans for their joint birthday party and Age Ceremony. It was a Saturday, and Mido found himself rudely awoken at ten o' clock in the morning by the front door nearly slamming off of its hinges. He sat up with a jolt, quite naturally startled by the loud noise. He was out of bed in an instant and down the stairs even faster, wondering what had happened, only to find a very flustered looking Skullkid sifting through the refrigerator before coming out with a bottle of mineral water and hurriedly beginning to drink it. Mido stared at him in confusion.

"Skully?"

No response, save for the sound of mineral water flowing down the sixteen year old's throat.

"Hey, big bro, what happened? Hey, come on!"

Skullkid finally looked at him, his eerily yellow eyes alight with anxiousness, before slamming the half empty bottle of mineral water down on the table to throw off his straw hat and run a shaking hand over his inch-long black hair.

"Nothing, nothing, squirt. Hey, did you just wake up?"

Mido, confused at his brother's surprise, nodded. "Yep, why? It's Saturday, so..."

Skullkid polished off his mineral water and wiped his mouth with a pale hand and gave his junior a look. "Kid, I can't stress enough the fact that I am seriously disappointed; you, the family coordinator and planner, our alarm clock and our all around errand boy, completely let yourself forget that not only your Age Ceremony, but your party with the Kenton shrimp is today. Really, little brother, I am very disappointed." Skully drawled, throwing the bottle from his drink in the recycling bin. He smiled to himself as he reached the stairs and began his assent, then turned back halfway up to address his redheaded sibling.

"Oh. By the way. The Kenton's are waiting to pick you up outside, have been for some time. You should be up and dressed in your Ceremony Garb by now."

With those words out of his mouth, Skullkid ran up the stairs. _Three, two...one...zero._

"Darn it, Skullkid!!!"

* * *

Today was a special day, Grandma had told him, but Link still couldn't quell the feeling of dread slowly growing inside of him when he thought of the 'tunic' that Kafei and Simon had told him to expect. Link was only ten; he wasn't mature, and he certainly did _not_ see the difference between an archaic male garment worn normally over leggings, referred to commonly as a tunic, and an everyday woman's dress. No, Link did not see the difference at all, and he wasn't any fonder of his Ceremony Garb.

Neither had he enjoyed the explanation for the clothes he was wearing now: a low necked shirt with loose, long sleeves, its color baby blue and covered all over with a depiction of his patron god. It was magnificent, he admitted to that; an embroidery of the god of storms, Kythe. The depiction showed a man with a manic grin face, arms outstretched and rain falling around him, with lightning and the outlines of mighty thunderheads and gale force winds, all in gold and silver thread. His pants were simple burnt orange and made from soft satin like his shirt, and he was to remain barefoot until he received his Hero's Garb at fifteen minutes to noon. The explanation for the flashy apparel that the boy had been given was this; before a boy comes of age, he is bound to the will that his patron god or goddess has set before him, and by default will not stray from that, but when he goes through the rites of the Aging Ceremony, his patron deity cuts loose his Bound Fate and allows him to make his own destiny, while simultaneously watching over him from afar. Link didn't quite understand it; he thought it was just another excuse to make him dress up, as any boy his age would.

Link sighed for the third time since they had pulled up twenty minutes ago, and Aryll echoed the noise from her place right next to him in the back seat. "Grandma," he said boredly, "I think Mido is still asleep."

Grandma sighed, and reluctantly waved Link out of the car. A happy nod and two slammed doors later, Link was inside the two bedroom Kokeire home. He quickly dodged around furniture and toys, running up the stairs and unceremoniously(rather inappropriate, considering the occasion) throwing open the door of the bedroom that both Simon and Mido shared with each other, only to find the older boy combing the last few knots out of his junior's normally unruly hair, while Mido was finishing yanking on the pants of his Ceremony Garb.

Link whistled lowly. Mido looked almost _mythical_, even more sprite-like than he imagined the forest race of the Old Legends would have been. All that was missing was a colorful guardian spirit. His shirt, like Link's displayed his patron deity in bright silver and gold thread, against a pure white satin background. Mido's was an image of the goddess of forest, Arenita, a young girl no more than twelve, with long flowing hair, kneeled on the ground and surrounded by plant life and woods, with a bird perched on her shoulder. His pants were a rich golden brown, and he, like Link, was barefoot.

"Wow, Mido, I didn't think you'd be able to pull Ceremony Garb off so well."

Mido stuck his tongue out. "Right back atcha, Link. Hey, can Skully get a ride with us?"

Link looked at Simon curiously, not having thought the older boy would be attending. He was even more surprised to find the delinquent was wearing a violet polo shirt and khaki slacks. He nodded. "I don't see why not, but he'll have to hold the cake on his lap; it's in the front seat."

Simon shrugged, and without a word, he led the way downstairs and to the small station wagon where Aryll and Grandma were waiting. Simon opened the front door and lifted the large red velvet cake out, bringing it back in with him and setting it on top of his legs, not bothering with a seat belt until Grandma scolded him. Link went around to the far side and climbed in the back, Mido getting in on the other side. Aryll smiled brightly at him, and they were off.

* * *

After a forty minute drive, Link and Mido hopped out of the car to find that most of the guests had already arrived at the place of the party, the Lookout. The Ferry twins, Tatl and Tael waved from their spot near the water, chasing crabs in their simple overalls. Eight year old Joel and his four year old brother Zill rushed over to crow over how cool they thought the Ceremony Garb was, and Colin Garcia, twelve years old, smiled softly from where he was helping Ilia organize gifts.

Mido could see his mother talking to Aroma Dotour, and Kafei was walking around with his girlfriend Anju Stockton. Link exclaimed loudly and grinned when he caught sight of them, running straight over to talk, with Mido on his tail.

"Kafei!"

The blue haired boy looked away from Anju and grinned amiably when he caught sight of the two for whom the party was being thrown. "Well, well, if it isn't the guests of honor! Hey, Link; Mido, too."

Anju smiled as well. "My, don't you two look nice? Excited for the Ceremony?"

Link heard Mido groan behind him. "Ugh, no way, Anju! I mean, what kind of self respecting guy would want to wear a _dress_?!"

At his friend's exclamation, he found himself nodding vigorously in agreement and grimacing. Anju just laughed, but Kafei's eyes were alight with deep sympathy for his younger friends' plight. Mido started up another topic of conversation, but Link found himself bored with the gushy looks Kafei and Anju insisted on giving each other and went to play with Tatl and Tael. The seven year old twins were as different as night in day; Tatl, the girl, was blond and naughty, while Tael was black haired and timid. Link loved them to pieces and joined their crab chasing until everyone was called for cake and gifts.

Before too long, chairs were set up with a makeshift aisle through the middle on the beach, and a brightly colored mat was put at the front. Everyone sat down, save for Grandma and Mido's mother, Link noted from his spot at the edge of the boardwalk beside Mido. He realized then what time it was, watching his grandmother and Mido's mother walk to the front with bundles wrapped in brown paper and stand there expectantly. Mido took his hand and helped him up, and they stood for a moment at the back of the gathering and took a deep breath.

"Hey, Link."

"Huh?"

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go, Mido. Happy birthday to you and Saria, by the way."

"Happy birthday to you too. Let's grow up."

With that, both boys walked side by side, forward to stand in front of their respective guardians. Both women smiled, and Ms. Kokeire was the first to speak.

"Mido Kokeire, child of Arenita, today you will be given free reign to make your own destiny. What is your response?"

Link's eyes flickered over to his redheaded friend as he took a shuddering breath(nervous, he supposed) and spoke in an almost practiced voice. "I, Mido Kokeire, child of Arenita, gladly accept this gift."

"And what, Mido, will you do with it?"

"I, Mido, with my own power, will become a great man, better than the one who refused to be my father."

Mido's mother nodded, her eyes misted over with pride and a light hint of sorrow. Link looked forward again as his grandmother prepared to speak. He was nervous; Mido had spoken as if the occasion was as serious and wonderful as a wedding. Link wasn't eloquent or unnaturally intelligent like his peppy best friend, and wasn't sure what to say; he hadn't practiced like Mido had, but there was no time to worry about it anymore. Grandma was starting.

"Link Kenton, child of Kythe, today you will be given free reign to make your own destiny. What is your response?"

Link paused for several long moments, breathing heavily, nearly breaking out in a cold sweat. He could feel the waiting eyes of everybody on him, _everybody's eyes_. He was sure he could have fainted from the pressure, until he felt Mido's arm nudging his own, a subtle form of encouragement. Finally, a shaky smile graced his youthful features and he answered. "I, Link Kenton, child of Kythe, am happy to get this gift."

Grandma smiled and continued. "And what, Link, will you do with it?"

The words were out of his mouth before he even realized it. "I, Link, with my own skills, will explore the entire Great Sea and beyond!"

Silence covered the small crowd of people for a long minute. A minute that, to Link, seemed like ten eternities to outmatch his ten years. Finally, when he thought he would collapse from the awkward atmosphere, he heard a shout of "All right, Link!" from Kafei in the back, and several other praises from local children like Colin(who had made his 'destiny' that of a boat-builder), Tatl, Tael, and Beth. Grandma looked a bit startled, but she was smiling now, and Ms. Kokeire winked at him roguishly. He sighed, relieved, and straightened again as both his grandmother and Mido's mother said the next piece in unison.

"Then we call you men, and give you the Hero's Garb. Wear it well, and be proud." and with those words said, the women unwrapped the packages to reveal the green clothing that lay newly made and pristine within. A short silence ensued before Kafei yelled indignantly. The clothing inside the packages was not a pair of tunics and leggings.

Mido's clothes consisted all of forest green: a pair of high-top sneakers, jeans, and a rustic styled top. Link's were a variation of army and bottle green; bottle green vest and cargo shorts, army green visor cap and tee, with a pair of traditional hiking boots. Both women smiled at the astonished looks on their charges' faces.

"Well?" said Ms. Kokeire, "What are you squirts waitin' for? Go get changed!"

* * *

Two o' clock in the afternoon saw Link at the top of the Lookout Tower(called Aryll's lookout by most local kids) with none other than Aryll. She had been babbling on about how 'cool' Link had been at the Age Ceremony, and that she wanted to be an explorer just like him someday. He only listened for a little while, being more interested in the sight of the sun magically shimmering off the ocean like a million water nymphs dancing in the warmth of the summer day. He stayed so for several minutes, tuning out his sister's energetic speech, until she shook him bodily out of his thoughtless state and back to reality.

"Eh? Eh? What is it?"

Aryll giggled brightly, holding her hands behind her back. "Big brother, I have a present for you! Close your eyes, and hold out your hand!"

Link looked at her, suspicion thick on his voice. "Aryll, this isn't a frog that'll pee in my hand or something, is it?"

"Just do it!!"

He did it.

A short, choppy moment passed, and then Link felt something long, made of wood and metal, pass from Aryll's chubby six year old hands to his own, slightly leaner ten year old hands. Opening his eyes, he found a simple, homemade telescope with a hand-painted flock of seagulls on it. He gasped, pleasantly surprised; this was Aryll's most treasured belonging, an heirloom left to her when their parents passed away three years ago.

Aryll giggled again. "Heehee! This is my _favorite_possession! I'm letting you borrow it because you're my big brother! Aren't you lucky? Heehee!"

Link couldn't help but let out a childish giggle himself at his sister's sweetness. "Hee! Sure am! Say, why don't you show me how to use this?"

Aryll complied easily, taking the telescope from Link's hands again and demonstrating by putting it up to her left eye and closing her right one, extending and retracting the shaft to show him how to zoom in or out. "Just like that!" she said, and gave it right back. Link grinned broadly and put the toy to his right eye to look through, zooming in on their house about a mile away, then shifting down to where the shoreline postbox was stationed. He smiled again when he saw Outset's assigned postman Quill Fier placing a small package inside, but mumbled in confusion when the rito suddenly squawked(of course, Link and Aryll couldn't hear it from their spot so far away) and began shakily taking off, as if afraid of something.

This proved to be true when Link was startled out of his watching by Aryll's piercing shriek.

"BIG BROTHER! IN THE SKY!!!"

So shaken was Link by his sister's sudden scream, he didn't even bother to take the telescope away from his face, instead using it to zoom in on what Aryll had been screaming about.  
He nearly fell over backwards when he saw what had startled her. Up in the sky, far above the town and even the Lookout Tower that was ninety feet tall, there was what appeared to be a giant bird. The first thought to run through his mind was he hoped it wasn't hungry, but he panicked even further when he saw the young girl grasped in the helm sporting predator's talons. In an instant, he had dropped the telescope and gathered the now crying Aryll into his arms, covering her eyes, lest she see what would soon be an appetizer for the roc.

He jerked toward the sea when he heard an explosion, and ducked when he saw the cannonball. _What on earth?! Cannons in this day and age? Well...maybe it's the only thing suitable for hitting Big Bird up there, but who...?_He looked around and found a boat on the water, speeding around the island to get a better view of the roc. Link gasped when he saw the flag flying from a pole near the boat's back.

_Kythe save me...pirates! _

"Aryll, stay down, okay? Huddle against the support beam!" Naturally, the shaken child obeyed, and then Link huddled with her, watching the conflict between beast and buccaneers from afar. Several balls of hot steel were launched at it, and it maneuvered out of the way every time...save for one. Link struggled not to retch when he saw a ball smack into the side of the roc's head with such force that he heard the monster's jaw break even from his place on the guard tower. What looked like some sort of violet-tinted oil spewed from the beast's mouth and came raining down, and he could hear the drops hitting the roof and deck. Again, he struggled not to vomit, and cried out in horror when he saw the girl fall from her taloned prison and plummet into the forest just outside the Mountain District. Aryll gasped beside him.

"Big brother! That girl fell into the forest! What should we do?"

Link looked at his sibling blankly. "E-eh?"

"She could be hurt! You have to help her!"

"EH?! No- no I don't! She's probably dead anyway, falling from way up there-"

"But you can't go into the forest without something to protect yourself!"

"Aryll, are you even listening to me?!"

"Oh, what should we do...?"

A sigh escaped Link's mouth. No, Aryll was completely disregarding everything he said...in favor of going on a wild hunt for some pirate girl who by this time was probably drowning in her own blood. Deciding the only way to appease her was to go and find the body, he rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Listen, Aryll. I'll find her, but you stay here. I mean it, don't move from this spot!"

A slight nod, and Link was on his way, taking the lift down from the Lookout and heading for the bus stop. The first thought to run through his head was what to do about self defense. To go home and grab his baseball bat and then go to the woods would waste quite a bit of time, so that was out, but he couldn't think of anything else...until he remembered old man Orca who live three quarters of the way to the Mountain District. _Maybe he'll lend me an air gun or something._ As he boarded the bus and dropped a blue rupee in for fare, Link decided he'd visit the retired peace officer.

A good twenty minutes later, Link hopped off the bus at the corner of Whale Avenue, the street where Orca lived with his older brother Sturgeon and his grand-niece Sue Belle. He started the run down the street, stepping to the side to allow a cyclist to pass, and keeping an eye on the houses until he spotted number 21 across the road. He scampered across and knocked on the door frantically. Not a moment later, Sue Belle answered, and, seeing his frantic expression, ushered him indoors while she got Orca. It was only another moment before the elderly man shuffled into the room and looked at Link with surprise.

"Well! Link Kenton, I expected you to be spending time with that little Kokeire hellion, not sitting in my living room...you have serious look about you..."

Link nodded vigorously. "Yeah, something really serious happened, Mr. Orca! Can I-"

"Ah, I see. Come with me to the back yard, then." Orca cut in, and Link found himself being half dragged out the rear door into what seemed like a miniature firing range. He gaped at the fence to his right. In front of it was a set of shelves with several types of knives, semi-automatic revolvers and rifles set out on them. He gasped loudly when Orca walked purposefully over to them and picked up a pair of Smith and Wesson semi-automatics; if Link remembered right from his last visit, they were both model CS45. He flinched even further away when he remembered that both were very, very real. Orca strode back, still intent, and thrust one of the handguns into Link's surprised palms.

"Let's see how you are with a semi-auto, boy."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Link was reluctantly leaving Orca's home with a CS45 stowed in a holster at his left side. He'd argued hotly with Orca, insisting that a child his age shouldn't be wearing a side arm at all, but Orca had insisted strongly. Link knew he couldn't argue the point of illegality; the Great Sea was a dangerous place, so there were no weapon laws. If you needed a weapon for protection, by all means, it was perfectly fine to have one in your possession. Still, Link didn't see why he needed such a strong gun. Despite his unrest with having a deadly piece of machinery in his reach, Link still remembered his purpose of finding the pirate girl's body and ran off after taking one last, uneasy glance at his new gun.

He managed to just catch the next bus, dropping another blue rupee for fare and riding all the way to the Mountain District, the smallest neighborhood in town, on top of the larger of two summits on the island. The other, across a long footbridge just across the road from his current location, was covered in a dense forest, rumored to be home to dangerous animals, but Link didn't believe it a bit. He and Mido, sometimes with Saria, had explored the forest when they were much smaller, and found nothing more than small animals like rabbits and martens.

Link waited for the bus to be out of sight, into the skyscraper filled area up ahead. Once it was only a speck in the distance, he dashed across the two lane road to the footbridge.  
He was nearly half way across when he finally noticed the gaping hole in the timber where several planks had rotted away. He balked and stared at it stupidly for a good moment before sighing and taking a good few steps back again, preparing to sprint and leap over the hole, and hoping he wouldn't plummet into the water below. Taking a deep breath, he launched himself forward and leaped, squeezing his eyes shut and instinctively grabbing at the bouncing holster, lest it allow his handgun to slip out and fly away. He kept his eyes shut for what seemed an eternity...

And then he felt a jarring pain as he tripped on the landing and rolled head over heels for several yards.

When the momentum finally wore off and Link had stopped, he opened his eyes to look dizzily up at the clear sky above him. He had made it across, but not without the reception of several bumps that would become nasty bruises, and a nicely skinned elbow. Link groaned loudly as he sat up, gingerly feeling the scrape and wincing when it stung. There was a small spot of blood on his hand when he pulled it away, and he grunted. No use worrying about a skinned elbow when there was a dead pirate to be found.

Link pulled himself slowly to his feet, retrieving his visor cap that had fallen off during his spectacular wipe-out, and entered the forest.

It was dimly lit under the trees. Whatever light managed to penetrate through all the branches and foliage was dyed green by the plant life, hitting the ground in splotches. Bushes of all sorts and small varieties of trees were everywhere, impeding Link's movement greatly, and more often than not he found himself stumbling rather than walking, because of the thick vines and protruding roots on the ground; the forest was more difficult than Link remembered. He struggled through the thick woods for a good twenty-five minutes before he finally found himself clambering up a small ledge to peer into the clearing on the other side. The clearing with a monster.

The clearing with a _monster_.

Link did his best to muffle his startled cry as he fell off the ledge from shock, and scrambled into a hollow log as quickly as he could to elude the now alert bokoblin's probing gaze. He crouched and began hyperventilating, silently panicking. Monster! What was a monster doing in the forest?! On Outset?! The short, quick breathing was beginning to make Link dizzy, and he struggled to regain some measure of composure.

_So,_ he thought, _there's a monster in the woods. I recognize this one, we read about it in school..._

Mentally, Link recited everything he knew about the beast now searching high and low for him. _Okay, it's called a bokoblin, and it's part of the goblin family. They generally aren't very intelligent, but they're versatile and fairly strong, about as much as a grown human. They've been known to use any weapon they can get their hands on. Maybe, since it's not smart, I can sneak past._

Link took in a shuddering breath and steeled himself. He waited for the bokoblin to lose interest and return to its seat on a stump on the west side of the clearing, and then he started to crawl forward through the log, aiming for the other end. He stopped a moment when he found a red rupee(how'd it get _there_?) and then continued on. After a good minute of crawling, he emerged on the other end and got up into a crouch, loping along the meadow's edge toward a fallen tree that acted like a bridge up onto a higher ledge. He halted suddenly when a twig cracked loudly under his feet, casting a nervous gaze over to where the bokoblin...was already barreling towards him. He screamed.

"Crap!!"

The bokoblin had tackled him to the ground before he knew it, and Link only saw its malevolent little eyes for a moment before it sank its teeth into his right shoulder. Another scream tore from his throat, this one of pain, and he threw a fist into the monster's temple, jarring it to the side and forcing it to let go. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to knock his assailant off, just enough to make it angrier, and it pounded a bony fist onto the wound it had just inflicted repeatedly, shoving its pig-like snout into his face and snarling. Link panicked, screaming every time the fist connected.

Then he remembered the CS45.

Frantically, Link yanked the gun out of its holster and struggled it into the proper position in his hand. _Squeeze, don't pull._ With that single thought, Link shut his eyes and fired.

A loud bang rocked the clearing when the bokoblin's head blew off its shoulders. Link nearly retched when he felt the foul smelling, oily blood spatter all over his face and chest, sending a tingling sensation all over him that compelled him to open his eyes. He gasped at what he saw: the blood...no not just that, the monster _and_ its blood were going up in what seemed to be a bluish sort of smoke, sparking with green fire every now and again until there was nothing left but a foul stench on the air.

When the shock of the disappearance finally wore off, Link vomited. _I killed something! I killed something! It was a monster, but still! I killed it! Oh, gods above...wait. The girl! That monster tried to kill me...what about the girl?!_

As Link ran up the log bridge onto the next level of forest, he found himself thinking for the first time; hoping, that is, that the girl who had fallen might still be alive, if injured. His shoulder was throbbing and bleeding, but pure adrenaline pushed him forward and allowed him to ignore it. He kept the gun in his left hand at all times, gripping it so tightly his knuckles turned white. He was so absorbed in his progress he didn't even notice how thin the vegetation had become.

He ran full out for ten minutes before he came to yet another ledge, this one also with a log bridge. His adrenaline pumped him up and onto the huge tree trunk with no trouble, and he ran up, stopping at the top where the ledge dropped off into nothing for ten feet until the ground below. The adrenaline wore off enough that Link could stop to think rather than act on pure instinct, and he took a few moments to look around.  
Below him was another clearing, this one larger than the last, surrounded by ledges, the ones on the south side being low enough to climb, and there were some large trees as well. From what he could see, the forest didn't go any further after this point, but the girl was nowhere on the ground....

Which, of course, drove Link to look in the trees. Lo and behold, there was the girl, hanging from a thin branch by the collar of a waist length royal blue vest and the knot of a red bandana. He didn't take any more time to observe her though, because the thought that the branch could snap any minute and send her falling caused his adrenaline to start pumping again, and he bounded off the cliff without another thought, rolling at the end and crying out when his injured shoulder struck a rock. He panted for a moment and stood back up, intending to go and see what he could do for her.

But that would make his job far too easy, so of course two kargorocs flew overhead and dropped two more bokoblins into the clearing. Link whirled around and nearly swallowed his tongue as they began to advance. He was panicking again, but this time, the presence of the CS45 in his hand kept him smart enough to start moving and aim. He circled around slowly, lifting the gun up and pointing it at the leading goblin's chest. He squeezed the trigger, and the bullet went flying, piercing through the enemy's heart without a hitch, and Link used his right hand to cover his nose from the awful stench. The next one was smarter though, now that it had seen its friend go down, and moved quickly, maneuvering around Link and keeping him on his toes. The child shot blindly once or twice, missing and hearing the bullets bury themselves in tree or stone, and then he was on the ground. The goblin had thrown a rock at his face.

Through his now foggy mind, Link could feel blood gushing from his nostrils and dribbling down his cheeks, and he heard something jump. Weakly, he lifted the gun again, pointing it upward, waiting....

The bokoblin came into view over his head. He fired.

Blood rained down on him and he felt the disintegrating body slam into his stomach. Adrenaline still pumping, he kicked it off and rolled away, ignoring the warm sensation as its blood disappeared from his skin. Once he was sure there were no more monsters in the clearing, Link scrambled to his feet and climbed the low ledge leading to where the girl was stuck in the tree. Just as Link came directly under her, she groaned, her eyes fluttering open.

Seeing as she was stuck in a tree....

She panicked.

Link was tempted to cover his ears from some of the colorful language spewing from her mouth, but he leaned in favor of diving to catch her when her struggling broke the branch. With a soft _whump_, she landed safely in his arms and he dropped to his knees, setting her down without a word. She looked at him for a long moment, her violet eyes giving him a twice over, then spoke.

"What's with _that_ get up?"

Link resisted the urge to fall flat on his face.

"Well, whatever." she continued, "So...where am I?"

Link rubbed his eyes, suddenly feeling dizzy, before responding. "You're--you're in the woods just outside the Mountain District on Outset Island. Some giant bird monster dropped you here."

The look on the girl's face was enough ot tell Link she was shocked. "It's true, I saw it!" he insisted, "Really, it's amazing you aren't dead. I thought..."

"MISS! MISS TETRA!"

Link and the girl(who was apparently called Tetra) whirled around to look over the ledge to find a burly man in his early twenties running toward them, obviously worried for Tetra's well being. "Oh! Oh, thank goodness! When that giant bird dropped you on this summit I thought..."

Tetra pinched the bridge of her nose and waved the pirate away lightly. "Yeah, yeah, Gonzo, I get it. You were worried. Come on, I'm fine, so let's just get out of here!"

Gonzo looked at Link, who was steadily growing dizzier and feeling the pain in his shoulder more as the adrenaline rush wore off. "But miss, what about this boy?"

"Just leave-" _THWUMP._

Tetra whirled around, startled by the noise, only to find Link collapsed on the ground and gripping weakly at his shoulder. "Shoot! Why didn't I notice that before?! Gonzo, grab the kid, seems like some monster's been chewing on him. It isn't really too bad, but he should get it treated. And goddesses, look at his nose!" she finished, squatting down next to Link and sitting him up to help him onto Gonzo's shoulders. The burly man gave a soft hearted grin.

"Don't you worry, kid, I'll get you out of here just...fine...Miss Tetra, this kid has a gun."

Tetra shrugged. "It's probably the reason he isn't dead yet, if those teeth marks aren't lying. Leave it alone, let's go."

* * *

Link's senses came back to him thirty minutes later when they exited the forest and the sun shone into his eyes again. He blinked it away and wrapped his arms around Gonzo's broad forehead from his spot perched on the older man's shoulders. His carrier protested gruffly, but he didn't seem too angry about it, so Link ignored it.

"Big brother, you found her!"

Link was very much awake now. "Aryll?!" he cried, lifting a hand to point wildly at his sister making her way to him on the bridge, "What are you doing here? I told you to stay at the lookout!!"

Aryll had the decency to look ashamed of herself for a moment, but then she smiled. "Well, I thought that since you didn't come back yet, you might be lost so I came to look for you..."

Link groaned angrily when he heard Tetra start to giggle beside him. Aryll was laughing sheepishly, and even Gonzo was chuckling. Link stopped being angry, however, when he felt the wind suddenly shift, blowing in from the north for just a moment, then returning to its east-blowing constant. Then it shifted again.

Something screeched.

Link felt the cold sense of dread from earlier in the day return suddenly, and a dry heave rocked his body when he looked up and saw the roc swooping in toward the bridge..._toward the bridge!_ "ARYLL!!!" he screamed, falling off of Gonzo's shoulders and sprinting forward, his third adrenaline rush of the day taking over as he ran for his sister, who was frozen in fear.

Link was nearly there when he heard a crash and was blown to the side by the railing splintering and barreling into him from the right. He screamed again, his eyes only just registering Aryll being carried away by the roc when he felt empty air beneath him and began to fall--

And then he felt two small, delicate hands close in around one of his own, and he jerked to an abrupt stop. He could hear Aryll's screams, and he could see her and her captor growing steadily more distant. A loud sob tore its way out of his throat and he began to thrash about, but the hands holding onto him thrashed back, and he heard Tetra's voice yelling at him.

"Argh! Stupid kid! Quit thrashing around! She's gone, there's nothing you can do!"

Link obeyed. She was right, after all. Guns couldn't span the length of the Great Sea, and he couldn't fly to his sister's rescue without wings.

She was gone.

* * *

Tetra looked at the despondent boy sitting on top of Gonzo's shoulders worriedly. _Gods, I can see why he's upset, but I wonder if I should take that gun before he does something dangerous._

Once they had crossed the bridge(only the railing had been taken out by the roc's accurate swoop), the boy(Link, she believed his name was) had pointed to a bench across the street where a bus would be by at the turn of the hour, and true to his word, not ten minutes later at three o'clock, a yellow and gray bus rolled to a brief stop to allow them on. Tetra fed a fifteen rupee note into the slot for fare and had Gonzo lead her to the back.

She spent the ride down from the mountain quietly, but she could hear Link trying to quiet his crying and felt a pang of guilt hit her chest. _Gah, don't think like that! He's not your problem!_ she thought to herself, but her mind shot right back, asking her why she was taking him to a doctor if he had nothing to do with her. She pushed the thought roughly away for the next half hour until she realized the beach was right out her window and noticed Link getting up to deboard. Naturally, he collapsed, still not able to walk, and Gonzo scooped him up when he saw Tetra getting off.

Tetra indulged herself with a roguish grin when she saw the docks not too far away, with her ship and crew waiting for her there. Niko the 'swabbie' was standing on the beach and waved eagerly to her, his black eyes lighting up.

"Ahoy, there! Glad to see you're okay, Cap'n!" he shouted, receiving a whack on the head in response.

"Of course I'm okay, stupid! Gods, you're supposed to be fourteen, but you don't act like it at all!"

Niko was about to retort smartly when all heads turned at a yell. Running up the beach was a redheaded boy wearing all green, just like Link. He looked green around the gills, Tetra noted, but it wasn't the clothes. He was upset about something. She allowed him to speak as he caught up to them.

"Dear Obsidius! Link, are you okay?! What happened to your shoulder? Why do you have a _gun_?!?"

Link, from his place sitting on the sand when Gonzo set him down, looked up and smiled sadly. "Don't worry about my shoulder, Mido..."

"Eh?"

"Aryll..." Link choked. Tetra felt another pang of guilt hit her full-force. "Aryll's been--"

Recognition lit up the other boy's eyes. "Oh, dear goddesses, Link, this is terrible! Come on, let's get you home; it's not far. I think we served some Red Punch at the party...you'll feel just fine if you drink some of that, come on..."

Tetra watched uneasily as the boy called Mido led Link to a house that really wasn't very far away at all. They opened the door and disappeared inside, and Tetra began composing herself, trying to forget what she had caused. No! It wasn't her fault!

...Right?

* * *

The look on the pirates' faces was almost enough to make Link lose his composure. The girl, Tetra(who for some reason seemed to be the leader) seemed as if she would faint on the spot. He had been taken home for some Red Knit(a potion-like medicine used for pain relief and acceleration of the healing process) by Mido and Skully as soon as they'd seen him, and explained things sadly to Grandma, then gone right back to the beach. Being the reckless boy he was, he said something very bold...

"WHAT?!" Tetra exclaimed, "You want to come with us?!"

Link nodded vigorously, feeling much more sprightly now that he'd had some treatment. "Yeah, that's right! If that bird...Mido called it a Helmed Tyranroc...was after you, you probably know where it's going?"

Tetra blanched. "Well, yeah, sure, but--"

"So you can take me there! Come on, Miss Pirate!"

An angry growl ensued. "Listen, brat, it isn't Miss Pirate, It's Tetra! Tetra Coates! And there's no way we're taking some little kid with us! This has nothing to do with us!"

A scoffing baritone voice was heard, and Link looked gratefully at Quill, who seemed to have come from nowhere. "Oh _really_? Is that so, Miss Coates? Because it seems to me like that bird mistook the younger Kenton sibling for _you_."

Link saw Tetra flinch. "L-like I don't know that! I feel bad about that, okay?! But it isn't as if some inexperienced kid with a gun he can't use will be able to save her! That bird is probably already at the Forsaken Fortress by now!"

"Hah!" spat Quill, but he himself flinched when a dangerous sounding voice cut in; Skullkid.

"Yeah, so? I for one respect skinny's valiant little proposal!"

Tetra returned the danger full force. "...And?"

Skullkid shrugged. "I just admire it. Nothing else to it."

Tetra rolled her eyes. "Oh, and some freaky eyed teenager is going to convince me with _that_. Try again."

This time, Mido joined in. "Well, do it as payback!"

Tetra stared at him. "...What?"

"Well? It's Link who killed those monsters in the forest! They'd have gotten to you and killed you if it weren't for him, right?"

Tetra looked at Link, astonishment evident on her young face. "What? Seriously, you did that?"

Quill cut in again before Link could answer. "The wound on his shoulder should be hint enough, Miss Fearsome Pirate. Come now, it isn't as if it costs you anything to have a passenger on board, and I'm sure you have no real destination in mind, so why not?"

A chorus of agreement echoed from Skully and Mido, and Kafei, who had just come. Tetra threw her hands above her head in resignation. "Oh, fine! On one condition!"

Link looked at her eagerly. "Sure, anything!"

"Don't get all homesick on me! And learn to use that gun properly, or else!"

"Aye-aye, cap'n!"

* * *

Link looked at the wheel as Gonzo started the cruiser up and the ship began to move. His grandmother had packed him a change of warmer clothes, since Forsaken was far north, and Kafei Dotour had handed him a one hundred rupee note. Orca had come by with extra clips for the gun, Sturgeon had given him a sea chart, and the Kokeire's had called everyone up to wish him luck. He turned back and saw them on the now quickly receding shore.

Grandma, Mido and Saria were in the front. Right behind were Colin, Beth, Ilia, Simon, Kafei, Joel and Zill, Tatl and Tael, and all their parents. He lifted both arms and waved to them.

"Goodbye, everybody!" he called.

"See ya, Link!" Mido shouted back.

"Take care of yourself!" the adults.

"Find Aryll soon!" Tatl, Joel and Zill.

"We'll be waiting for you!!!" Tael, Saria, and the rest.

"Yeah!" Link responded, "I promise I'll come back with her!!"

He could hear Tetra snickerign about crying and homesickness, and wondering how long it would last. He turned back and glared at her before sending one last look back to the island, now only a blotch on the horizon. His routine was shattered.

He'd lost at russian roulette.

**Chapter End.**

_Adventure Update:_

_1) You got your Hero's Garb! These clothes signify that your fate is yours to determine. Take them seriously!  
2) You got a telescope! This is Arll's favorite toy. Treat it with respect!  
3) You received a CS45! This is a gun made by Smith and Wesson. It's a tool, not a toy, so use it like one.  
4) You got a Travel Bag and Funds! These gifts contain the well wishes of everyone dear to you. Hold them close, and don't forget that everone is supporting you!_

* * *

Night: Well, there we are! Hahaha...I laughed at the Adventure Update. I just love doing little things like that. I think perhaps I've been watching too much Naruto Abridged.

Well, regardless of any of that, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. (laughs) I actually can't wait wto write Windfall and Dragon Roost, but first Link has to trek through the Forsaken Fortress. Well, if you enjoyed the chapter, please let me know! I'd love any and all feedback you have to give, so press that button.

Unless, of course, you'd like to wake up undead tomorrow.


	3. Part of the Crew

Night: Well, hello. I have no excuse for the delay, I'm sorry. Anyway, Link's adventure takes a turn for the dark as he arrives at forsaken fortress part way through this chapter. The beginning illustrates the trip to the Fortress, with Link being introduced to the majority of the pirate crew and forming somewhat a friendly bond with Niko. For those of you who like a warning to this sort of thing, there will be plenty of moderate swearing in this chapter. Also, more than Aryll, Maggie and Mila have been kidnapped, for the sake of reality. Only three? Unimpressive, Ganondorf. Unimpressive indeed.

**Note:** a line divider separates author notes from the chapter and denotes larger lapses in time, say more than two hours. A set of dashes denotes a shorter passage of time, less than two hours, we say, or a change in viewpoint or person. If you find yourself confused, just go back a bit and get your bearings.

ONWARD, GOOD FELLOWS!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Two: Part of the Crew**

For a few short minutes, Link had wandered around on the upper deck watching everyone work. It had been interesting. Though the crew was made up mostly of burly men, they were as different in appearance and personality as you could get. He had already met Gonzo, the gruff but bighearted man who took care of the steering, and found he didn't mind him, but the man was nothing short of dull-witted, and Link had grown tired of his company quickly. Next, he had run into a somewhat short, but still built fellow with outrageous sideburns; Zuko.

Zuko was what you might call shy and had a low, gravelly voice, and Link had learned he had two brothers on the ship, Mako and Niko. Zuko was the middle child. He had admired the telescope Link had with him, telling him it was well made before resuming his lookout duty and leaving Link to his own devices once more.

Walking further, he had quickly run into Zuko's elder brother Mako, who sported a thick pair of glasses and was reading a book in some foreign language. His nervous and condescending disposition had, at first, rubbed him the wrong way, but despite his superior attitude, he had welcomed Link warmly to the ship and expressed his apologies for the loss of his sister.

The last crew member Link met above decks was a tall, muscular man with a dark beard who called himself Senza. Link had found him rearranging some crates near the bow and greeted him politely. Senza looked up from his work to give him a once over.

"Suppose you're the new swabbie then." He muttered.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't really know what it means, though."

Senza straightened up and looked at him. "Means that you're the newest member of the crew, kid. You'll get the hardest work. It's a pretty raw deal, but I wouldn't worry. You'll have Niko to help you. He's clumsy, but he's useful enough."

Link nodded. "Okay…"

"Actually," remarked Senza, "If you don't wanna be bored for the next day or so, you should head on down below and see the boy. He'll get you started with some simple chores and show you the ropes."

With that, Senza went right back to his work and ignored him.  
Link decided to follow the man's advice; there didn't seem to be anything much to occupy him with and it would be nearly two days travel before they finally reached the Forsaken Fortress where Aryll was being held prisoner. Shrugging his pack into a more comfortable position, Link strolled below decks to find out what was in store for him.

Entering the cargo hold, Link found himself standing on top of a wide platform overlooking what seemed to his small being mountains of barrels and crates. There was a strong smell on the air, something like spices, bitter herbs and gunpowder. It was such a heavy aroma that he found himself heaving in order to breathe. He was so taken in by the exotic scent that he didn't even notice he had company until he was whacked on the back of the head.

"Oi, wake up there, shrimplet!"

Link groaned and rubbed the now smarting area, turning to find the same gangly teenager that had greeted Tetra only an hour before they had left. He was clad in a striped tank top, and his platinum blonde hair was obscured by a stocking cap. His black eyes looked dull on the surface, but Link had a feeling there was more to him.

"Jeez, kid," said the older boy, "You walked in and just froze."

Link was lost for words, unsure of himself in the company of the (seemingly) amiable teen, so he settled for a simple "Sorry."

"Hey, don't worry about it. You're Link, right? My name's Niko."

"Uh…okay. Um, listen. Mister Senza said you would have some chores to keep me occupied for awhile?"

A light seemed to go off in Niko's head and he grinned. "Oh, yeah! I guess I do, sort of. You'll really just be helping me with stuff I'd usually do on my own; laundry, cooking, that sort of stuff."

"Oh, uh…okay, I guess."

The remainder of the afternoon was spent doing inventory on food supplies in the hold and organizing them to make them more easily accessible. Niko, Link found, was full of complaints but worked diligently nonetheless. Link found himself full of questions and inadvertently enthusiastic, wondering why this was referred to in that way or why that needed to be put on top of that, and Niko, insufferably happy at having a junior to boss around, happily answered every inquiry however he was able.

Finally evening came, and Link received a short cooking lesson from Niko while they prepared a simple but hearty vegetable soup for themselves and the crew. After all was said and done and the sun had long set, most of the crew, Tetra included, headed down for the night, with only Zuko and Gonzo remaining awake to take the first steering and lookout shifts. Link sank gratefully onto his thin cot, removing his boots, hat and vest. Niko bid him a rather incoherent 'sweet dreams' as he collapsed onto his bed.

That night, Link dreamt of blue skies and clear waters as far as the eye could see.

The next day went much like the first. Link was roused at sunrise by a disgruntled Niko and the two prepared a simple breakfast of eggs and sausage before going on to clean for most of the morning. When noon finally came, Link found himself more worn out than he could remember being before, and yet very satisfied with himself. He sank happily onto a crate in the hold, realizing suddenly that they would reach the Fortress late that night. He was struck with a thought then; he would have to fight his way through a stronghold that was more than likely full to the brim with all manner of monsters. He barely knew how to handle his gun, and he couldn't throw a punch to save his life. He noted, with a slight amount of wariness, Niko, who was sitting beside him and stretching his sinewy frame out.

"Hey, Niko?"

Niko turned and looked at him blankly. "Yeah, swabbie? What's up?"

Link hesitated but a moment before making his request. "What do you know about fighting? I mean, we're getting to this Forsaken Fortress place tonight, and I barely managed to get through the forest in my hometown alive yesterday. I mean…I can use my gun, a little, but not that well, and I might need more than just that. I've never been in a fight until just recently. So…I was wondering if you could teach me a little."

Niko's response was instantaneous. "I'd be happy to, kid, but I'm sorry to say I'm not much more than a street brawler myself. Still, I'll teach you what I can. Go on and stand up."

Link did as he was told and stood facing Niko on the hardwood floor. "Now, listen close." Started the gangly teen, "I can't teach you anything about that gun of yours. You actually have a lot more know-how than me in that regard. But don't get you shorts in a knot, because I know a thing or two about throwing thugs like myself around like sacks of flour."

Link nodded, though he was a bit surprised that Niko had never handled a gun before.

"Okay, first things first. A common newbie mistake in a fight is putting too much shoulder into a punch, so be careful about that." He held his hands out in front of him. "Let's see how strong you can hit."

Link was, quite naturally, nervous about just hitting his crewmate, but Niko was looking at him expectantly. He decided he would have to trust him. Concentrating on his target, Link drew back and launched a balled fist forward into Niko's waiting hands.

"Not too bad for a first shot, but make sure you put all your power into it; you can't afford to hold back, no matter who your opponent is. Alright next."

For the next couple of hours, Link found himself going through simple drills, punching and kicking at his superior and taking pointers and encouragement in stride until he was dog tired and could barely stand anymore. When finally he gave up and sat on the floor with a sigh, Niko laughed and crouched in front of him.

"Hey, you're not too bad, you know." He started, "With some practice you could beat a sucker like me to a pulp. Anyway, you should go and sleep until we get there. Come on."

* * *

It was pitch dark in the crew room when Link found himself awoken by a rough shake from Zuko. "We're here now." He said shortly, and stomped out. Link sat up and tossed off his blankets. He immediately regretted it. Though it had been warm like a spring day when Link had gone to sleep early that afternoon, it was cold now, the chill in the air making the young boy shudder and rub his arms. He remembered that Grandma had packed him a change of clothes and went quickly to dig them from his backpack. He stumbled across the room to switch on the light, and then to the table where his bag sat. He opened it and found a pair of jeans and a brown sweater. He changed into them as quickly as he could, and added his vest and hat as a second thought. He grabbed his boots and gun on the way out the door and proceeded to the top deck.

On the clock, it read three a.m.

It was even darker outside than inside, Link thought. There was not a moon in the sky, and clouds obscured even the brightest of stars. He was called immediately by the rough bark of Tetra's voice. "Oi, you rube! Over here!"

Link twitched a bit, not happy that he'd been condescended in such a way, but he walked over to the highest point on the ship to stand next to Tetra. Tetra was surveying the massive work of stone before them. "That," she said, "Is where your baby sister is being held. The Forsaken Fortress."

"…Dear Arenita." Swore Link.

Tetra scoffed. "Yeah, I guess. Anyway, I know this place pretty well. You see, a while back, there was a gang of petty thugs we competed with that used this place as a sort of headquarters. But they were harmless small timers. The place looks like one big death trap now, though."

Link nodded his breath quickening. Spotlights were everywhere among the many turrets of the stronghold, making it look near impossible to even set foot inside without being immediately spotted. Tetra must have thought the same, because she groaned heavily.

"Ugh, this is no good. You'll be plugged the moment you get anywhere near that place."

Link paused. "…Plugged?"

"Shot full of holes."

"How encouraging."

Tetra rolled her eyes. "Yeah. So, you can see the problem well enough….Ah! Hey, look up near the top there."

Link followed the wild waving of Tetra's arm as well as he could and nearly shouted when he saw the same Tyranroc that had abducted Aryll dozing lightly in a massive nest on one of the towers. Tetra shook her head angrily and redirected his gaze a little further down. "No, not there. Look! See all those gulls? You told me your kid sister has a thing for 'em! I'll bet you a green to a red that's where they've got her!"

Looking a bit more closely as a spotlight flashed over the area, Link was able to see what Tetra was talking about. Nearly an entire flock of seagulls was swarming around a large window. He gasped. Tetra was right; if Aryll was in that fortress that was the place they had locked her up. And yet, the dilemma of how to smuggle Link into the fort remained.

"Din dammit…" muttered Tetra, "This will never work…what should we do…?"

For a long moment, there was only the sound of a cold north wind and Tetra's frustrated sighs and groans, until suddenly, Link could almost _see_ the light go off in the young captain's head.

This was just about the most undesirable situation Link could think of.

--- -- ---

"Um, Tetra?" he said nervously, "When you said you had a great way to get me into the fortress, I was thinking something like a rowboat. This is…kind of not a rowboat. This is kind of an oil drum I'm inside of. On a catapult."

"And?" asked Tetra, quirking a brow.

Link hesitated a moment, wondering how she could be so calm. He assumed it was because she wasn't the one in the barrel. "And, uh, no offense, but I don't think that being launched at a wall inside of an oil drum is very conducive to helping me save Aryll."

Tetra looked at Link calmly, the picture of serenity. "Hey, don't worry." She said, "This may seem dangerous, but believe it or not we do this all the time. Besides, our aim is great. You have nothing to worry about."

"I'm not convinced. Sorry."

"Well, you'll have to suck it up, Link. This is all we've got. Everyone ready?"

A chorus of ayes followed. Link shook his head rapidly. "No, I'm not ready!" he shouted, becoming desperate. "Seriously, Tetra, please!"

The captain wasn't listening. She held her arm up in the air, the sleeve of her deep blue jacket sliding down to her elbow. "Three!" she called.

Link's eyes widened and he held back a scream.

"Two!"

He tried to steel himself and gritted his teeth.

"One!"

He resigned himself to fate and scrunched his eyes shut.

"Fire away!"

Link could only hear the sound of his pumping heart and his screaming for several long moments before the oil drum smacked into the wall with a hollow clang. Pain exploded in his head and before he could even process that he had fallen from the barrel, he hit the water. It was pure reflex that led him to swim for the small wooden dock a few feet away, and when he finally managed to haul himself up on top of it, he swore loudly.

"Shit! Great aim my ass, those stupid pirates." He muttered, taking off his vest and wringing it out as well as he could. He was soaked. He was surprised his hat hadn't fallen off of his head during his rather eventful flight. He felt at his loosened belt and reached to tighten it, but something felt wrong.

It was too light.

Link was frantic now. He checked his holster. It wasn't there. The CS45 Orca had given him was gone! He said a string of very nasty words and stomped the ground with a soggy boot. Now, not only was he at the lowest level of the fort, he had lost his only means of protection! After another good minute of violent expletives, Link resigned himself to starting on his way. He was here now, no stopping that.

He'd gone scarcely six steps when a violent vibration shook his leg. He shouted and dug in his pocket. His hand brushed on something smooth tied on a rope, and he yanked it out. It was a semi-transparent stone as blue as his eyes, and it lifted itself in the air, floating just an inch above his open palm. He nearly screamed when Tetra's laughing voice echoed from it, as if reverberating from a very spacious room.

"Ahahaha! You should have seen your face! Talk about priceless!"

Link scowled.

"Ahem. But anyway, enough of that…………Ah damnit, Link, I'm sorry! I guess our aim was a bit off. And it looks like you lost your gun too. Nayru, this is a bad situation…"

Link grunted.

"……Hey, listen, kid. There's still a chance here. I think…"

"Hey, wait just a darn minute, Tetra! What the hell is this thing?"

"Oh, my apologies!" Link scowled again at the dripping sarcasm. "Anyway, this thing is a gossip stone. I can see you through mine, and you can obviously hear me through yours, so we can communicate with them. When you feel it vibrate, you damn better pull it out!"

Link sighed. "Don't you think a cell phone would have been a better idea?"

"Ha! Phone? Unreliable pieces of crap, those things. You have to deal with poor reception, bills, and batteries. This thing can't be traced, has no range, and a lot of other pros. Anyway, you're just borrowing this thing, all right? I want it back as soon as your sister is safe."

"Yeah, sure."

"Anyway, just find a way to keep yourself hidden. There's a door up ahead, so try for that. It'll likely be safer once you're inside."

Link nodded and put the stone away, eager to end the conversation as quickly as possible. He continued on and came to a set of stairs. The searchlights were flooding the barren space between him and the door. There was a wooden barrel not too far away, and the lid was missing.

"Oh, gods, I can't believe I'm about to try this."

--- -- ---

Link muttered another unsavory curse. He had made it to the door, somehow, but now he was stuck in a jail cell after an unhappy encounter with a pair of moblin guards not too far in. Tetra had quickly rung him and told him to look for an opening, but Link was doubtful; no matter how ill kept the fortress was, it was solid rock. There was no way he would find –oh.

Link praised Tetra's amazing intuition as he pushed a large vase aside to find a large hole in the wall, just big enough for him to crawl through.

With some careful maneuvering, he was able to squeeze through the passage and wriggle out on the other side, effectively escaping his prison. He was off again quickly, somewhat encouraged by the small victory. He did balk, however, when he entered the next room and the only thing bridging the gap between the two platforms making it up was a light bulb on the end of a long bundle of wires.

"Well, it's just one crapshoot after another today, isn't it?" he remarked, gazing around his current location. He was surprised to find an old fashioned looking little chest sitting neatly on top of a nearby barrel. Deciding it could do no harm to find what was inside; Link let his curiosity take him to it. There was not lock, nor a latch, and it was opened with a simple flick of his wrist. He peered inside and found a small map portraying the stronghold's general layout in a simple, easy to understand fashion.

"Well, it's better than nothing." He muttered, "Now…guess that light is my only option."

Link allowed himself no time for hesitation before jumping at the cluster of wire and hoping fervently that it would hold his weight. He grabbed on tightly and felt a jerk when he began to fall and start moving forward. As soon as he felt safely within distance of the far ledge, he let go and felt himself sail through the air, arms flailing. He managed to land on his feet, albeit sloppily, and he found two doors led out from this room. He instinctively went for the one on the left.

After a bit of sneaking through some outdoor colonnades, Link found himself rather near a ladder and one of the searchlights. His pocket shook violently, and he removed the gossip stone and gazed at its levitating form in his hand.

"Hey, Link! There's a monster manning the light up there!"

"Oh. That's bad, right?"

"Right." Remarked Tetra, "Anyway, since you don't have a weapon, play it safe. Monsters are stupid, and with a little tricky running you can probably manage to push it off the edge and into the water."

"Okay. I'll try that, thanks."

"Whatever."

With nothing left to say, Link stowed the crystal and climbed up the ladder. Tetra had been right, of course. There was a bokoblin running the light there, humming to itself in its nasty, guttural way. Link took in his surroundings. The bokoblin didn't seem to have a gun or anything of the like, but there was some sort of cudgel stowed in its belt. Around on the other side of the tower, Link could see a table with a toolbox on top of it. Deciding it was as good a place as any to start, he padded quietly over to it. It was locked, much to his chagrin. He wondered if the bokoblin was even smart enough to use anything in there for a moment before he just grabbed the entire container and lugged it along with him. He was as quiet as he could be the entire way, and the bokoblin didn't hear him until he was nearly upon it.

With a roar, it whirled and tore its cudgel from its belt, swinging wildly at Link in a clumsy, awkward way. Link brought the toolbox in front of his face to block the heavy swing, and felt the wooden club bounce uselessly off. Without another thought (thinking would only lead him to panic) he swung the metal container upwards and felt it connect soundly with the goblin's jaw. It recoiled and leered at him angrily before launching itself forward in a tackle.

Link hit the ground hard, the bokoblin on top, raising its cudgel in preparation for crushing his skull. Fear took over for a moment, but Link lost himself completely in the will to survive_._

He swung his right elbow forward and winced when it cracked into the beast's skull. It hurt, but it did the job. The bokoblin collapsed, unconscious. Link heaved its body off and dragged it to the edge of the tower, throwing it off and into the sea where it would drown. He picked its cudgel up off of the stone floor on his way to the searchlight, and turned the light off.

"That's one down." He sighed. Two more to go.

* * *

It was nearly three hours later that Link finally finished disabling the last searchlight. He sighed and collapsed on the ground for a long moment to catch his breath. He'd plowed through nearly all of the fortress's lower levels at this point, dodging around heavyset moblins and kicking away pesky rats, walking across thin rafters, swinging on bundles of wire. He sighed. His clothes were dry now. Still, he could already feel the beginnings of a nasty cold in the form of a pounding headache.

After a good ten minutes of just sitting, Link hauled himself to his feet and continued on through a set of somewhat familiar corridors before coming to a large room overlooking an old sailing vessel. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the pair of moblins patrolling around the end of the room near the very door he needed to get through in order to make it to Aryll's current location. He sighed when he noticed the open barrel nearby.

_Damn it all, I'm really starting to hate barrels._ He thought as he ducked inside and started forward at a sluggish walk. He used a small knothole for sight and immediately ceased moving when one of the moblins passed by. As soon as it turned and went the other direction, Link threw the barrel away and rushed desperately for the huge door. The tall railing on the stairs leading up to it hid him well, and he made it safely there. With a lot of strenuous pushing, it creaked open and he slipped silently through.

Leaving the room, Link found himself on an upward sloping path. He followed it around a curve until he hit the base of a stairway. He paused for a moment and listened. Up above a high ledge at the end of the stairs, he could hear the obnoxious snorting of a moblin as it went on its rounds. The light of its torch passed nearby on the landing and Link dropped low to the ground, pulse pounding in his ears. He was so close to Aryll; he couldn't afford to get caught again now.

Once the lantern's light had furthered itself enough, Link continued forward at an uncomfortable crawl, bating his breath and remaining as quiet as he possibly could. Once past the top step, the moblin was nearby again. He hugged the ledge below it, waiting for what seemed like hours while the beast sniffed about, looking for any scent that might seem out of place. Finally, satisfied that nothing seemed to be wrong, the moblin guard went on its way. Link rose himself to a crouch and loped up the next set of stairs.

He nearly groaned when he saw the barrel at the top.

Sighing quietly, he lifted the wooden container over his head and crawled forward. This one was in perfect condition, with nary a knothole or crack to peer through, so Link was stuck listening for the sound of nearby footsteps. He almost didn't hear them until it was too late. It was only the moblin's grunt of surprise that saved him. He quickly crouched down inside the barrel and held his breath. He almost wished he could temporarily stop his heart so the moblin might not hear it pounding.

He felt his hiding place nudge to one side as the moblin inspected it and sniffed it. Then, suddenly, it was pushed swiftly to the side, and the moblin's footsteps receded. Link let out the breath he'd been holding slowly and moved forward quickly. Once he'd made it a good ten feet without pause, he risked lifting the barrel away and standing in open air. A long staircase was set up ahead, leading up towards the tower where Aryll and whoever else had been kidnapped were being held. He drifted around the corner, but couldn't stop himself from turning back for a moment and sticking out his tongue.

"Nyah! Stupid pig." He muttered, and was on his way.

He was heaving and sweating by the time he finally made the top of the stairs, and the fact that a ten foot gap rested between him and the next length of path did not help in the slightest. He felt, rather strongly, that whoever built this fortress was a flaming idiot and needed to be shot; alas, he did not have his gun with him. And so he opted to instead look for some means of bridging the gap. After a bit of squinting in the dark, he managed to spot a thin outcropping of stone against the wall that, with some careful balancing, he could sidle across without much trouble.

He felt tempted to turn back for a moment, but the thought of leaving Aryll to wait in whatever greasy, undesirable conditions she was in outweighed his desire to avoid a broken leg.

Thus, he sidled.

Though the gap was not too terribly wide, the ledge was only just wide enough for Link to stand upon tip toe while moving across, so progress was slow. Several times, he felt his precarious position become compromised slightly, and every time he was reminded that panicking could cost him his life. After what seemed like an eternity of inching along on the wall, Link finally felt solid, expansive ground beneath his feet once more and crumpled against the wall. Once the rapid beating of his heart slowed to a somewhat-near-normal pace again, he stood and continued.

Not two yards ahead, a gap twice as large as the previous loomed. This time, old crags of pavement jutted out nearly four feet each from the wall, spaced nearly a yard apart from each other. This, Link mused, was not nearly as bad as sidling along a six inch ledge forty feet above ground. Though the height was still the same, Link had jumped across stepping stones like a little frog dozens of times back home. This was not much different…sort of. Without much thought to how high above ground he was, Link concentrated on memories of playing leapfrog with Aryll and Tatl, and bounded for the first outcropping.

He landed well, falling to his knees to keep balance. The process was repeated nearly four more times before he made it across to the final stretch. Confidence overwhelmed him now. Only a hundred feet or so away, Aryll would be waiting in the next room. Joy bubbled up in his chest with such effervescence that Link couldn't help but shout with elation as soon as he was near the door.

Unfortunately, the bokoblin stationed just in front of it was alerted by the yell and burst into action.

Link had not seen the bokoblin before, its mottled green skin (different from the ash gray of lesser bokoblins) helping it to blend in against the mossy surface of the door. But now that it was roaring and rushing toward him with what seemed to be an aluminum bat, Link was very aware that he had made a mistake.

"_Crap_!" he seethed, and jumped to the side. The bat crashed into the ground, leaving a crack in the stone. Link shuddered as he ran for the door.

"That could have been my head! You're a crazy bastard, aren't you?!"

The bokoblin snarled and rushed for him again. He leapt out of the way and landed uncomfortably on his back. "Shoot, what's under me?" he groaned, and sat up, only to find his gun was the very thing that had made his fall so uncomfortable!

"Hallelujah!" he cried, and gripped the weapon tightly in his hand. Its presence was oddly comforting as he started dodging the bokoblin again, searching for an opening to shoot.  
Much to his chagrin, the bokoblin he was fighting now was smarter than all of the others he had faced before. It searched with calculation and tact for chances to strike, but the way it swung was as ferocious as a moblin. Link had let off four missed shots now, and he was getting discouraged. Coupled with the blow to the chest he'd received just prior to his third shot, the boy was growing more and more impatient.

Finally, he froze in place, and the bokoblin froze with him, confused. "Dumbass," he said, "Don't stop moving."

A sickening squelch rang over the large veranda as a pair of bullets tore through the goblin's chest and sent it to the ground, burning and screaming. Link skirted around the dying beast on his way to the door. _And that's the last, I hope._ He muttered to himself as he pushed open the heavy wooden door.

Light streamed into his eyes, and Link had to squint and cover them for a good, long moment while they adjusted to the much brighter setting from what he had previously been running around in. Once he could see properly, he found himself in what seemed to be a good old fashioned dungeon with poor living conditions and no guards. There were two large cells that seemed to be communal holding areas, and one of them was filled with nearly fifteen girls ranging from five to thirteen, all with the long, sharply pointed ears of the Hylian race. All of them were also staring at him in surprise. One of them cried out.

"Big brother!"

It was Aryll, near the front between the protective arms of a girl in designer clothes with freckles and a redhead in thrift store attire. Link gasped.

"Little sis! Hey, I came for you! See?" he crowed, running with reckless abandon for the cell. He was tired, sick, achy and covered in mud, but he couldn't have been happier.

Aryll laughed happily. "I knew you'd come save me! Because you're my big brother! I told everyone, but only Maggie and Mila-"

Aryll's voice cut off as Link reached the center of the room, jogging over the top of a large drainage grate. Link paused in his trot as well, staring around carefully at the surroundings. Things seemed to be shaking, and there was a sudden breeze…and the flapping of immeasurable wings.

By the time Link saw the Tyranroc, it was too late to run for the cell. Aryll and the other girls all screamed for him to run and hide, but the roc already had Link clasped in its beak, and was flying from the room through a massive skylight. Link could hear Aryll wailing for the 'stupid bird' to bring him back and leave him alone, but her cries grew distant as he felt himself carried higher and higher in the fortress, the Tyranroc's helmed beak digging painfully into his back and stomach. Finally, when they had ascended another hundred feet or more, Link saw the remains of an old fashioned merchant ship pinned on the uppermost spire, like a morbid sort of dwelling place. It was evident this was where he was being taken, as the bird paused when it came on level with the entrance to the makeshift home.

Link allowed himself to gasp in horror when a shadowy figure approached from the door. He was just like the storybook villain, Gheul, the one who kidnapped princesses and murdered kings and plundered villages all before breakfast, single handedly. He was probably seven feet tall, two hundred pounds, every bit of it solid muscle. His hair was a fiery red, his skin dark as night, his eyes all-seeing. His ears were round and he was clad in a long coat with embroideries of fierce dragons and skull-faced serpents.

Link felt he might be sick.

"Fairytale villain…" he whispered shakily. The man smirked, said something in a dusty sounding language, and flicked his head to the side. Link was sent flying as the Tyranroc followed the motion and released its grip on him.

He felt his stomach drop, and then he knew nothing.

* * *

_---- -- ----  
_Floating in the water, an unconscious body drifted with the tide. Nights were long on the sea, and no one would find him, one would think, and that is precisely what drove the figure cloaked in moonlight to save him. Water lapped against faded red paint and something bent over to scoop the little boy into the interior of a small boat. The night wore on as it cruised slowly eastward.  
---- -- ----

* * *

Night: And there we have it! Next chapter is somewhat filler and expository, and if you'd like I'll include one of the Windfall sidequests to add some substance. The first section of Dragon Roost will also be included, so things are set to be long next time. As always, any feedback you have for me is greatly appreciated, negative or not. I'll do my best to be more prompt with the next update. See you!


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